ii• 1 ;f ·) ~; i ·): i =ffi ;fu ~ i • j ~ t ~:r~i;~~t~it~c:~t~~~~~~ lined concert, which will also C C • i'Jik ·) 1~ i ' The taste for spring and all things new continues this nionth as many local music events unveil a wealth of premieres by our most talented Canadian composers. Spanning multiple genres, from intimate to operatic, this month's range of concerts offer musical excitement, reflection, adventure and redemption, performed by some of the best ensembles in the country. As always, we encourage you to open up new perspective~ on new music and attend any, or all, new music concerts with a Composer Companion as your own personal audio tour guide. OFF THE VERY TOP of the month, Tapestry New Opera Works offers up a buffet of tasty bite-sized operas under the title Opera to Go. From April 1-7, Tapestry will present five new 15-minute, fullscale productions by some of Canada's brightest composers and writers.in what promises to be a unique theatrical environment (the Fermenting Room of Toronto's hot new art spot, the Distillery District). Composers Chan Ka Nin, Abigail Richardson, James Rolfe, Sean Ferguson and Koji Nakano pair up with writers Mark Brownwell, Marjorie Chan, Camyar Chai, Kico Gonzalez-Risso and Alexis Diamond to create works that span time, place and situations in a way that only the magic of Tapestry's Opera to Go can cook up. From the top of Mount Everest to the bedroom of Queen Elizabeth I, from the career struggles of a young ice skater to a struggle for truth lifted from the journal pages of painter Francisco Goya, Opera to Go promises to be a musical smorgasbord concocted to satisfy many tastes. For more details you can visit " Iii Long & McQuade 1 - MUSICAL !NSTRUMENTS,t. www.long-mcquad•.com QM PQS ER QM PAN IQ NS give you access to other festival events, call 416-366- by Jason van Eyk 7723. SALES - RENTALS - REPAIRS - IN STORE FINANCING TRADES - USED INSTRUMENTS BOUGHT & SOLD www.tapestrynewopera.com. For JUST AST APESTRY clostickets call 416-872-1212. es its run of Opera to Go, the Toronto Mendelssohn ON APRIL'S FIRST WEEKEND, Choir leads us into the Eastthe Esprit Orchestra will hold The er weekend with a Canadi Weekend - New Wave Composers an choral trear. On April Festival. Esrrit is known as one of 7, at Yorkmister Park Bap Canada 's finest ensembl.es present- list Church, Artistic Direcing the rmst exhilarating current clas- tor and conductor Noel Edsical music. Their commitment to ison will lead his choir in showcasing Canadian talent is re- Life and Death. On the promarkable, as this jam-packecl week- grarrnne is the Brahms Deutend of performances, orchestral read- sche Requiem and From ings, screenings, public debates an
COALJTION OF NEW MUSIC PRESENTERS by Keith Denning A concert of new music is the end of a long journey undertaken by many people: performers, producers, copyists, publicists, volunteers and, of course, tpe audience. The first steps of that journey, however, take place in the mind of a composer. The creation of any music is, to many people, a real enigma. The process is often opaque even to musicians . This is particularly the case with new music, since the music itself is, by definition: new and therefore unfamiliar. Many new music organizations in the GT A are aware of this and make efforts to lift the curtain on the modem musical mind. In this month's column I will focus not on concerts themselves, but rather on events and initiatives that lift the aforementioned curtain. I SHOULD BEGIN BY SA YING that many of us invite composers to speak before or during the concert. New Music Concerts' "Illuminating Introductions," or Esprit Orchestra's "Pre-Concert Talks" are good examples of this. ArrayMusic (www.arraymusic.com) has an ongoing series of lecture/presentations called Composer Talks at the ArrayMusic Studio. · Taking advantage of offerings like · these from new music presenters is a great way of familiarizing yourself with the i~er workings of new music. The Esprit Orchestra is offering up another great way to experience new music this month. ,The New Wave Composers Festival is a ter- NEWS ROUNDUP Christien Ledroit rific weekend of new music events centered around the concert Streamlined, on Saturday April 3 at 8:00, which will feature new works by rising stars Andre Ristic, Rose Bolton, Christien Lec,lroit, and Oliver Schneller. 54,rrounding this concert is an array of events that revear the creative processes of new music, including: Esprit In-The-Now, an informal composition/improv/jam session at the NOW Lounge (189 Church St., Friday April 2 at 9:30 p.m.), an open dress rehearsal (April 3 from 10:00 to 12:30), the "Outof-the-Box" Forum from 4:00 to 5:30 at the Jane Mallet Theatre, moderated by composer John Rea, and on Sunday April 4 at 7:30, an orchestral reading session, in which new orchestral works will be read and workshopped. All are open to the public. (For more information, visit www .espritorchestra.com.) fered a series of seminars/lectures called the "Computer-Assisted Music Program. " In what they regard as a natural development from that idea, the Institute has launched the Freeware MIDI Project. This project will catalogue and assess freeware MIDI software, and develop instructional programs and manuals for their use. The catalogue and reviews will be freely available from the MGI website (www.mginstitute.ca) and will be great for anyone wanting to explore .musical creation on their computer. In the sham:less self -prormtion category, I'd be remiss not to mention Earshot Concerts upcoming event, Earshot Cabaret, which will feature a wide variety of short compositions and improvisations by local composers and perforrrers in a relaxed setting, including world premieres by Scott Wilson and yours truly. Exact details are TBA, but visit www.earshotconcerts.ca to find out rmre. t,m1t11t1-:1~i11imiil.jiiir•••t11r1si~iti~1iilli~:11i:i: .. Li~tMei~·a·~niq~·e··m·ailing list servicing Toronto's New Music organizations. It is for everyone who wants to be kept informed about the many New Music events and concerts 'in town. OS to ioin . up to 50% discount from special promotional partners . · one FREE CONCERT with your registration The Music Gallery Institute (MGI) has undertaken a project which allows e~eryone to explore musical creation and composition for free! For some time, MGI has ofge2t on the2 list .at . Listrhc:2 .ca funding partners . ·\~·\) Ari Gollery of Ontario • THI! O#TARIO TRIL.1.IUM PC\INIIATION a Tapestry New Opera Works produ ,ctlon . Fivel'blte-sized" operas from: Perfor nces Only! April 1 - 7, 2004 The Fermenting Room, Distillery Historic District, 55 Mill Street, Toronto .00 - .00 ( 00 with student ID) call (416) 872-1212 or purchase on line at www.ticketking.com Gala Opening Night tickets April 2 - (416) 537 f5066 Chan Ka Nin &Mark · Brownell Abigail Richardson & Marjorie Chan James Rolfe & Camyar Chai Koji Nakano & Kico Gonzalez Risso Sean Ferguson & Alexis Diamond '\ T A P E S T RV · · } ., ... . . /c Work, The centrt' for new ope!d C!edt1on in Cc1.nad,! APRIL 1 - MAY 7 2004 Music Direct.or: Wayne Strongman, Producer: Claire Hopkinso n Director: Ba1Juta Rubess, Set Designer': Teresa Przybylski Costume Designer Angela Thornas, Lighting Designer: Steve Ross Cast: Tamara Hummel, Lynne McMurtry,*Martm Houtrnon, Ian Funk, Xin V'Ja.ng WWW, THEWHOLENOTE,COM visit www.tapestrynewopera.com libretti, Interviews and MORE - .
